A Knight's Duty
by Kratos Aurion
Summary: Set in AU. Seto's POV on his execution day. Mostly flashbacks.
1. Memories, Both the Good and Bad

Nahte: I sorta randomly came up with this idea…….this fic's kinda depressing, but it will have its moments……

Disclaimers: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, obviously. I mean, come on! If I owned it, do you think I'd be writing fanfictions???

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A Knight's Duty 

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**Memories, Both the Good and Bad**

"Seto Kaiba. It is time."

I looked up in the darkness of my cell. Ah. My prisoner guard.

"You're late, Mr. Manasta," I said sharply in an accusatory tone, but my lips were set in a faint smile. Alexander Manasta stayed grimly silent as he led me out of my cell and the dark dungeon and into the damp hallways. The chains around my wrists and ankles made faint clanking noises that echoed through the walls as I walked.

"Sir Kaiba," he said unexpectedly in a soft voice, breaking the silence and also making me jump. I turned my face toward him and blinked curiously. "Why….?"

Okay, that was out of the blue.

To tell you the truth, he had me rather confused right about now….

"What do you mean?"

The brutish-looking, but kind man shook his magnificent red head slightly in a disbelieving way. "You know what I mean."

He had me puzzled for a split second there, but then—

"Oh," I replied, finally understanding what he was getting at. "Yes. That."

Ah, yes. He was questioning me about my decisions that led to my execution, which is going to take place today, not too long from now. Alexander stayed silent, waiting for me to go on. I smiled lightly as I imagined privately to myself what he might say to me when I explain it to him, ignoring the rather uncomfortable stillness.

'What the hell were you thinking, Seto Kaiba?! Had something crawled up your ass and ate your brains out when that happened?!?!'

I laughed out loud, causing him to look at me with an eyebrow raised inquiringly. I quickly shut up.

Sometimes, my dear reader, imagination is a bad thing.

"Well," I began slowly, still smiling faintly. I stared at the dark and damp walls as I spoke. "Sometimes, Alex, a knight shouldn't' do what he has been told to do, even if he had received orders from the King himself." I paused and waited for his response: whether he would grab my throat and shake the shit out of me, killing me before my execution can take place, spit at me and push my face through a wall, or stab me to death with the sword he was carrying because I had just spoken against the king. The answer was none of the above. I had received no reaction from him, and I took the no-reaction as a sign for me to go on. I paused briefly, choosing my words carefully as we strolled closer and closer to the gates that led to the outer areas of the castle.

"I couldn't kill a little child, slaughter a village full of innocent people, or let His Majesty go on a killing rampage for sport. I mean, maybe when I first be came a knight, when I was eager to earn glory and fame, I might have allowed it all to happen, but at that time, and even now, I couldn't—"

I was cut off by a set of bright sunrays that shone in my eyes as the gates opened, revealing a large, jeering crowd. Alex looked at me somberly after glancing at the expected audience. I offered him a small smile. He shook his head at me, his eyes going misty.

"Good luck, Sir Kaiba," he murmured softly, putting a comforting hand on my shoulder. "No matter what they do to you, remember, you are still a hero……"

I laughed.

"A hero? You continue to flatter me far too much for my own good," I said, still snickering slightly. "Anyway, I will be fine. After all," I flashed him a confident smile. "I know that have fought for what I believe in, and had won……in a way."

He opened his mouth again, but was cut off abruptly as two guards with razor-sharp spears blocked me from his view.

"Well….goodbye, Alex," I said loudly so that he may hear me over the booing of the crowd. "And thank you for everything!"

If he had said anything back to me, I had missed it as the guards roughly pushed me, urging me to go on. The audience parted automatically, smirking and sneering at me.

"Hurry up, hurry up. We have better things to do than to take you for a walk," said one of the guards gruffly. I held my head up high as I walked toward the guillotine through the thick crowd. I waited, almost wanted, to get the leaving shit beat out of me by them.

"Bastard!"

Well, there's the first of them.

An egg came flying at me. It hit me squarely in the face, drawing a fit of cruel laughter from the front-row people as it dribbled down my chin. I was unable to wipe it off as the guards forced me to go on.

I continued to stare straight ahead as I casually (except for an occasional impatient taps from the guards) strolled toward my death instrument.

"Son of a bitch," came a growl from the crowd. A rock flew at me, hitting my shoulder. My chains clinked again as I flinched slightly more from the impact than the pain itself.

"Seto Kaiba, the knight in disgrace," yet another hissed as a bright red tomato flew at me, barely missing my foot. More things came at my way, along with meant-to-be-hurtful mutters and remarks from the crowd.

"Coward….."

"Fool!"

"Idiot."

"—weakling—"

All kinds of things flew at me—may it be eggs, rocks, insults, tomatoes, sandals, etc, etc. Once, a book was even thrown at me! Crazy I tell you, these people were insane.

I endured all sorts of insults and mostly identified flying objects without lowering my gaze until my eyes caught a pair of wide, fearful brown ones. Suddenly, I was rooted to the ground, immobilized, and unable to look away. The roof of my mouth felt extremely dry as I tried to swallow.

"Lady Serenity……" I whispered hoarsely as I watched the silent tears running down her angelic cheeks. I tried to reach out to her, but one of the guards stabbed me on the back with his spear. With a small yelp of pain, I fell onto the ground, feeling the crimson blood issuing forth from the newly acquired scar. When the guards had pulled me to my feet again, (mind you, it hurt too. I think they were trying to pull my arms out or something!) all I could see was a shimmering mess of glistening brown hair and her shoulders shaking with her face in her hands. For the first time since I was chucked into the dark dungeon, my heart and my stomach plummeted into the deep depths of Hell….that awful feeling…..as I realized that she was crying…..

Crying……

For……for me.

The awful feeling in my stomach lessened as I realized that at least, my love would cry for me, even if it was within the secret chambers of her heart, unable to mourn out loud because of the king's strict orders.

My train of thoughts were broken again as the guards stabbed me on the back once more, pointing toward the wooden stairs before me.

"Go up. Now."

I drew in a deep breath.

So this is it.

The jeering and booing of the crowd below me grew louder and louder as I slowly walked up the stairs. I then stood on the fairly large wooden platform, facing the gleaming guillotine before me. Eggs oozed down my face and my bare chest, juices of tomatoes ran down my neck and hands, and bruises were forming on my shoulders, and just basically everywhere on my body as I stared at my death in a longing sort of way. I squinted my eyes briefly to take a better look at it. The blades looked sharp and taken well care of. Good. It would be a quick and clean death.

Breathing in and out deeply, I scanned the crowd for familiar faces to say goodbye as things continued to fly at me, my mind racing back to the day when it had all started……

Memories……both the good and the bad…… 


	2. Beginning of a War

Nahte: ^_^ Warning—this chapter is slightly bloody at the end!

Cricket: *from outer space* You are a sick-minded bloody idiot……

Nahte: O.o Um…..right…..anyways, let's get this fic started! ^^

Disclaimers: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, obviously. I mean, come on! If I owned it, do you think I'd be writing fanfictions???

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A Knight's Duty 

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Ch. 2—Beginning of a War 

I remember that day so clearly as if it were yesterday…..the day where it had all begun.

I was kneeling down before King Sheraku of Egyptus, listening to his orders.

A new war had begun—Egyptus's [1] mighty warriors against the Man Slayer tribe warriors.

"……Sir Seto Kaiba," he rumbled as he finished giving me his instructions, presenting his jeweled sword before me. "Do you give your honor to complete the mission, to help War-General Shadii save the Southern Border [2] from the upcoming assaults of the Man Slayers? [3]"

I nodded and accepted the sword solemnly without glancing back at the audience in the throne room.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I give you my word, my honor."

Little did I know how I would later regret my decision.

But to continue with my story……

With that, His Majesty dismissed me and the ceremony was over. I slipped the sword into its scabbard, which I had been given to before, and retreated from the throne room, bowing deeply. The royal guards closed the gates after me, and I was alone in the stillness of the hallway.

"So, where have you been assigned to, _Knight_ Seto Kaiba?" came a scornful voice from the darkness of the corridor. I whirled around angrily and found a pair of dog-like eyes staring back at me. I smirked. I should have known.

"_Lord_ Joey Wheeler," I said, giving him a mock-bow. "For _your_ information, His Majesty just had assigned me to the Southern Border." My smirk widened as I watched Wheeler's jaws drop open.

"You're joking—" he sputtered, turning red in anger. "Impossible—only the best of the best gets assigned there!"

"Then I supposed _you're_ not going," I replied in a dignified way as I swept my deep azure cloak up. "Well, good day to you." I was about to turn around and leave Wheeler there when my eyes caught those of a girl's standing behind him. She was wearing a beautiful honey colored dress which brought out her deep amber eyes.

She was the most beautiful girl I have every laid my eyes upon.

A tingle ran down my spine and back and my throat suddenly felt like a mini Sahara Desert. I was unable to speak as we stared at each other for a few too-short moments, her soulful eyes looking back at mine. I could have stared into those honey pools for eternity, but I broke away from our gaze reluctantly as I felt a small blush forming across the bridge of my nose.

For the first time in my life, I was speechless as Wheeler looked at me with his eyebrow raised. His dumb expression brought me back onto earth, and I cleared my throat before speaking again.

"G-good day to you," I repeated as I hurried out of the hallway without looking back, leaving Wheeler speechless, staring after me dumbly. When the two had disappeared from my view, I leaned against the nearest wall, all my strength gone. My heart was racing as if I had just escaped a thousand Man Slayers.

_Be still, my beating heart._

_Who _was_ that girl, and what had just happened back there…?_ I wondered as I took in deep breaths to calm my pounding heart.

_What's happening to me…?_

I forced myself up then left the king's castle as swiftly as I could. But I could not help stealing a glance back toward the hallway, hoping for a second glimpse of her.

~*~*~*~*~*~

It was a few days after the ceremony, but I was already at the Southern Border in the midst of a bloody battle.

"Front row, columns 1, 2, 4, and 5 archers! Get your arrows ready!" I shouted from the top of the fortress wall to the archers below, waving my sword to the left and right. Swinging their oversized battle maces, the Man Slayers approached the wall rapidly on their monstrous armored horses. Once they were within our range, I lifted my sword up into the air and yelled, "FIRE!" I looked down in satisfaction as arrows flew from their owners' bows and hit their targets perfectly. The opposing warriors fell one by one, and when there were but a handful left, I smirked in approval as I turned to face the great fortress and my warriors that were still standing.

I could feel the relieved tension in the air, and I smiled—first time in a long, long time. I could hear the archers put down their bows, starting to take off their heavy armors, and dreaming about the their sweet homes and families waiting for them with open arms.

They have been here a very long time—now they could finally go home.

Man Slayers were easy to defeat. Almost too easy.

The rumors always said that they were machines of destruction, bringing total and complete annihilation to where ever and everywhere they went.

I shrugged mentally. Who cares? We won, they lost. End of story.

I allowed my warriors about ten minutes of break before giving them fresh orders.

"Great job, now let's—" I began as I sheathed my sword, but was rudely interrupted when one of the royal family's most devoted servants, now under the service for me, by the name of Ignatio, cried out loud, pointing toward the battlefield.

"Sir Kaiba! The Man Slayers—they're coming!"

I rolled my eyes and shook my head without turning back. He was always a bit of a practical joker. I could hear the screams below—why were they playing along with him?

"Ignatio, get a grip on yourself. You are seeing thins. Now, unless you want your head rolling about here," I said smoothly as I began to draw the gleaming blade, just to scare him a bit. "I suggest that you—" I was cut off as he grabbed my shoulders and whirled me around. My mouth dropped open, not caring whether he was defying the law by touching a noble blooded.

"Oh shit!" I yelled, eyes wide, leaning over the protective wall of the fortress. They were coming again—this time, by thousands!

"Damn it!" I yelled again in the midst of terrified screams, eyeing the oncoming troop disbelievingly. "Vile creatures!" I stared at them, dumbfounded, my mind blank, not knowing what to do.

"Sir Kaiba?" came Ignatio's cautious voice through the thick clouds that surrounded my mind. "What—do we do now?"

"What?" I snapped at him, but once his words sunk in, I turned to him and spoke in a grim tone, unsure of myself—for the first time in my life.

"No other choice, is there? Send more archers down, and have them keep shooting at them with the lead arrows."

"Yes sir," he said, bowing down before me deeply, his dark hair dancing with the gentle breeze. After a moment, he straightened up, and then climbed down the stairs into the fortress to carry out my orders, his black cloak trailing after him.

"Are you sure that the move was wise?" a monotonous voice asked abruptly, belonging to War-General Shadii, technically, the other commander of this area. He had been staying quite all this time, and I was quite surprised to hear his voice.

"No," I snapped at him impatiently. "But that's the only thing we _can_ do." I waited for him to snap back at me, for him to tell me that I was being stupid, that I was wrong, but he turned away and continued on with his silence. I let out a weary sigh as I watched more archers swarming down at the wall.

"This had better work," I muttered in an irritated way to myself, hoping that they will work their magic for me once more.

The Man Slayer fighters approached….the arrows once more….

Perfect! Their aims were perfect!

We will defeat them this time for sure.

"Beautiful," I murmured as the arrows soared for their targets with the power of a plummeting comet and the deadly accuracy of a hungry wolf. "Absolutely beautiful."

"Yes," Shadii agreed quietly, nodding his head. "Their aims are precise. But I think it is too early to celebrate," he pointed out. My eyes widened once more to their full extent as I watched the unbelievable scene before me—

"The first troop—they were a decoy!"

"Indeed. The first troop was sent to lower our guards."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?! That they used decoys?!" I yelled as I pointed down at the battlefield. The Man Slayer warriors were dodging the arrows with little to no difficulty….

The opposing force was approaching the wall with astonishing speed. I looked down in despair as they slaughtered my archers, one by one.

My archers….some of their brains were dashed out by the powerful war maces of the Slayers, but mostly, crushed to a pulp.

_No, no, no, no!!! This isn't happening, it can't be!!_

"This is my first time battling against them, although I have heard many rumors," he said calmly as I grabbed his collar threateningly. "I just hope that the Tamer that I had heard so much about—"

"The Tamer? What tamer?!" I demanded hysterically as I shook him back and forth. He looked at me with his cold blue eyes, and I let go quickly in shame.

"The Tamer," he said quietly as he straightened his clothes out as a faint eerie sound was echoing throughout the battlefield. "You can see him for yourself. I think he's coming out right now."

I looked around wildly for the source of the noise, and discovered a small, dark figure in a distance, standing upon a hill with several rows of black-armored Man Slayer warriors standing beside him, protecting him.

I suddenly felt like lead had replaced my inner organs, a feeling that was weighing down on me heavily.

"Is…..that it?" I said mindlessly as my head was cleared of all thoughts except for one—

_'Why do I get the feeling that this isn't going to be easy?"_

"Yes," Shadii replied solemnly, looking back at me with those deeply disturbed eyes. "And if what I have heard is true, then this battle might be the end of us—and our kingdom."

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Nahte: ^_^ This is my first ever cliffie. Not very good, I realize….hope you liked this chapter!

Joey: *smirks* Tings are not looking up for Kaiba, eh?

Nahte: ^___^ Nope, and it's gonna get even worse!

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[1]: Egyptus is the kingdom Seto lives in. Ruled by King Sheraku, as mentioned above ^^

[2]: Southern Border is, well….a border. It is the most vulnerable border of Egyptus, so lots of countries attack there. Especially since the Southern Border is near a river called Nilaké River, a very convenient river for transporting goods and stuff, plus the area around it has lots of mines and resources and stuff, so a lot of countries want to take over the Southern Border. King Sheraku, of course, doesn't want to lose this valuable area, so he sends the best of his warriors to defend it.

[3]: Man Slayers—a ruthless tribe of warriors under the rule of a leader nicknamed Grim Reaper. His real name is unknown. They are blood-thirty and are very cruel and destructive. They have fallen many kingdoms and captured countless castles and towns and such, and have slaughtered immeasurable numbers of people. They are one of the best warriors in the world (AU world). Recently, they have recruited a sorcerer called the Tamer—his powers will be revealed in the next chapter.


	3. The Battle With the Tamer—part 1

Nahte: Sorry for the long no-updatedness....T.T Me has encountered a writer's block!! (dun dun dunnnnn...)  
  
Mel (check my profile if you want to know who she is): You humans are SO weird.  
  
Cricket: I told you so! But you didn't listen! Geez, Greek gods....  
  
Mel: (rolls her eyes and flicks him out of the fic)  
  
Cricket: O.O What did I do?!?!  
  
Nahte: Now for the disclaimers:  
  
Disclaimers: Does the word FAN-fiction ring a bell?  
  
p.s. TT They took out the star symbols and stuff so I have to use the ugly brackets instead of the cute little things....TT The number thing looks hairy....  
  
p.p.s. By the way, I'm planning to change my name to Nahte...what do you guys think?  
  
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A Knight's Duty  
  
Ch 3—The Battle With the Tamer—part 1  
  
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There it was again.  
  
The eerie sound....echoing through the battlefield. I looked over at Shadii, and to my great surprise, he looked frightened. He was the kind of guy who never lost his cool, even if his eyebrow was being burnt off.  
  
But this time, however, the sound was rather....musical.  
  
"Brace yourself, Seto Kaiba!" Shadii said suddenly as the Tamer began to draw a glowing magic circle in front of him. "That is the mark of the summoning magic!!"  
  
"Summoning magic—for what?!" I demanded, but before Shadii could answer, I had received it instead from the Tamer himself. My eyes widened to their full extent as wolfish looking creatures sprang out from the magic circle, racing toward our side. The creatures had the body of a wolf with red eyes and a third eye planted in the middle of their forehead. Their fangs were unusually long and were white, showing clearly against their dark gray coats. Their claws were made of iron, and the hair that covered their three tails were made of some kind of metal as well. They weren't as large as normal wolves, but there were tens of them, possibly hundreds.  
  
"They're demons!" I cried, noticing their demonic signs on their backs.  
  
"Yes," Shadii whispered, his eyes looking sad. "Heartless demons. Our warriors will suffer." And just as he predicted, they did. The wolf demons, with their red tongues hanging out of their mouth, attacked the archers mercilessly, their lips set into cruel smiles. They tore at my warriors—broke their bones—ate at their flesh and gnawed at their body—murdered them, slaughtered them!! As I looked down at the wall in helplessness, that was when I spotted Ignatio down there, trying to encourage the warriors to fight off the demons. At first, I was too surprised to speak, but as I found my voice, I yelled at him to get the hell out of there.  
  
"No, Sir Kaiba!" came the reply through the roaring of the monsters and the remaining warriors who were taking down at least some of the cruel monstrosities. "I have served the royal family of Egyptus since my birth, and I will go down serving them!"  
  
"Ignatio, get back here!" Hell, he may be annoying—but—I had rather admired him, admired him for his strengths—not physical, but mental. "King...the King's going to kill me!!" The tiny figure of the servant-boy merely waved his hand at me as he charged at the pack of the demonic wolves upon a beautiful white horse, standing out against the redness of the environment.  
  
"Ignatio....foolish boy," Shadii said in a sad tone, his eyes hidden under the hood of his cloak now.  
  
"He can't win the fight—stop him!" I said frantically, glaring at him.  
  
"I cannot," he said simply. "It is his decision. It is not up to me to stop him." I turned away, frustrated and angry at both Shadii and myself.  
  
"Ignatio—" I gasped as one of the demon wolves headed for him. He—he was going to get killed! "Move out of the way! Forget about the war, forget about this stupid battle, just move!!" Either he had not heard me, or he had heard me but chose to go on, as he rode on toward the Tamer while wolves from every possible direction attacked him. He was an excellent horse rider, I'll give him that much...but this was still too dangerous for him. A blitzkrieg such as this, he could not, and will not survive!  
  
"IGNATIO!!!" I yelled as one of the minions of the Tamer finally got to Ignatio and attacked both the horse and its rider. The horse's pure, white coat was immediately stained with his crimson blood as one of the larger demon wolves literally tore his arm out. He fell from the horse, clutching at his injured stump of an arm, and the horse fell beside its owner, bathed in red liquid as well. I would have jumped down from the fortress wall and ran to his side if it weren't for Shadii's firm grip on my arm, preventing me from doing anything stupid.  
  
"Let me go, dammit! I have to help him!" I cried in a fit of hysteria. "I can still save him—get the hell away from me!!" A single drop of hot tear ran down my cheek, but I did not know whether it was a tear of grief or of frustration and anger.  
  
"I have to save him! I won't let them violate him like this!!" I screamed, blinded by fury and rage as I watched helplessly as the wolves tore at Ignatio, the brave, valiant servant's carcass, savoring the taste of the victim that they had just fell, Shadii's grip on my arm as firm as ever.  
  
"It is over, Seto Kaiba," he said, his voice strangely strained. "You cannot help him, all you can do is revenge his bravery—look, the Tamer's retreating—we must've done enough damage—look—oh, will you stop struggling?!" he finally said with a steely edge to his voice.  
  
"It is over, alright?! You cannot bring him back, you'll only get yourself killed! The Tamer's retreating, and I have figured out a strategy that might be able to defeat them! Dear Ra, snap out of it!" he said heatedly, giving a small shake to my arms. I was barely listening to him as felt suddenly weak, tired, and scared for the first time, the death of a brave servant finally registering into my brain. "I understand why you are like this, but stop this! Grieving will get you nowhere—"  
  
"You don't understand anything!" I suddenly yelled, tearing my arm out of his grip. My eyes were narrowed angrily as I glared at the fellow general. He didn't understand—he didn't! I have known Ignatio for a while—Shadii didn't know him like I did—what a smug little fucker he was, pretending as if he understood my pain! "You know nothing about him, or me, or how it feels when someone close to you dies, you have no friends! You don't—"  
  
"Yes, I do," Shadii whispered suddenly, cutting me off in mid-sentence. "I have....lost my wife and my children to them." My body suddenly went cold and numb as he began to tell his tragic tale.  
  
"I was away in another kingdom," he said, not paying attention to the retreating figures of Man Slayer warriors or the demonic wolves. "I was on a spy mission, and I gone back to Egyptus to report to the king—that's when the Man Slayers attacked the kingdom, and destroyed everything in it.....my wife, and my two little children—they died, painfully, as I heard from one of the survivors of the massacre—they didn't know the Man Slayers' strategies, they kill everyone who does—my wife was raped, and my children, slaughtered before her very eyes—" he choked suddenly and turned his face away from him, leaving me to look at his back.  
  
"—and I didn't even get to say goodbye to her properly, we were engaged in a small fight because she was mad at me for accepting the king's crazy missions...but I loved her dearly, and it broke my heart....and I vowed from that time, never to love again...never to feel human emotions again.... he finished, his voice barely heard over the rustles of the wind carrying the bloody scent of the battlefield, and I realized that I was crying. Before he could turn around and see me, I quickly wiped away my tears and cleared my throat.  
  
"I'm....so sorry.....I didn't know...." I said, my voice crackling nonetheless.  
  
"It does not matter. They have died proudly as the family of a Knight in service of the King. Let's go back into the headquarters and discuss our battle plan." His usually broad-and-proud figure looked small and sad as he floated toward our tents, with me trotting dejectedly behind him, shocked with my new knowledge about him.  
  
---  
  
"So...what do you have in mind?" I asked Shadii cautiously, the loss I had suffered mere hours before still weighing down on me, drinking out of the wine glass one of my other servants had brought.  
  
"It is simple," Shadii replied quietly, accepting the other glass that my servant had offered him. "We match their brute animal force with our own." I raised an eyebrow, motioning for him to go on.  
  
"The prized hunting dogs of Egyptus....do you remember them, Sir Kaiba? The Ji'ns?" I nodded curtly.  
  
"They are not demons, but they are larger than the beasts. If we can acquire them, we can use them against them."  
  
"But we'll still need hundreds of them, no matter how big they are," I protested, putting my glass gently down onto the table. "We cannot gather them all in a few days!"  
  
"Ah," Shadii said softly, sipping at his wine. "But you are forgetting something—Lord Wheeler. He breeds the Ji'ns personally, and he has several large packs. We will have to ask him to bring his dogs over—"  
  
"Hell no!" I cried suddenly, bringing my fist down onto the table, my temper flaring in the midst of my sadness. "Anyone but him! I am not about to fight alongside him!" I yelled, remembering his smug expression back at the palace and how I was dangerously close to murdering him on the spot, if it weren't for the fact that the King had assigned me, instead of him, to the Southern Border.  
  
"Sir Kaiba," Shadii said, the steely edge to his voice returning. "Do you wish to avenge Ignatio or not??" I was about to break my glass out of my anger, but froze suddenly at my former servant's name. I let my hands fall to my side and slumped back onto the chair, the feeling of loss returning to me.  
  
"Yes," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, my face in my hands. "Send him a messenger. Bring him over."  
  
---  
  
But, however, things have not gone as we planned to. Several days later, we had received a message that said the Wheeler will be arriving at the fortress soon, so would you please greet our party a few miles out from the fortress? Shadii stayed at the Fort Suter, the fortress we were defending, while I decided that I would greet Wheeler. The morning of the promised arrival of Wheeler arrived, and I put my saddle on my favorite black stallion, and rode toward the designated spot along with a small army, just in case the Man Slayers tried a sneak attack. I wasn't too worried, however; the Man Slayers regarded sneak attacks below their style and had never done it before.  
  
---  
  
"Whoa, whoa," I said, patting my stallion, Ka, gently. "Calm down, boy." Ka snorted impatiently and threw his head around several times, clearly uneasy about the cloud of dust forming upon the road not too far away.  
  
"Get your weapons ready," I informed my men, "incase the Man Slayers are trying a sneak attack." But it was unnecessary as a set of distinct barking could be heard to the tiny hill where my army and myself were waiting. The first of the dogs came at our way and stopped just a few feet in front of me, sniffing cautiously. A brown carriage was spotted but a few yards away, and I tensed, preparing myself for the idiotic face of Wheeler. The door swung open slowly, and the driver steadied the horses as the rider stepped outside of the tasteless carriage. How typical of Wheeler to pick out a stagecoach that looked more like a dog pen. I could not have been more surprised as foot rested upon the ground gently while the rest of the body slowly followed the foot.  
  
Hmm.  
  
A pure-white high-heel with a pearl studded upon it. Not Joey Wheeler's foot, I'm sure.  
  
I gave a barely-audible gasp as a girl stepped out, her brunette hair waving gently to the wind.  
  
It was—her!  
  
The girl from the palace!  
  
"You!" I said suddenly as her own guards stepped around her like a beefy wall. "But I asked for the owner of the Ji'ns—"  
  
"I am the owner," she said softly, her angelic voice soothing. "I train the dogs, not my brother. Joey is too busy for that."  
  
"Wheeler is your brother?!" I said, my eyes nearly popping out of my socket.  
  
"Yes, I'm Serenity Wheeler, Sir Seto Kaiba," she said and her amber eyes glared at me briefly, a classic Wheeler style, as if to say, You got a problem with that?! Then her eyes relaxed and she curtseyed at me as I bowed at her as well.  
  
"Would you be kind enough to escort us to Fort Suter?"  
  
---  
  
"Lady Wheeler," Shadii said gracefully, giving her a formal bow once we were in the headquarters. "You honor us with your presence. But what about your brother...?"  
  
"I am the trainer and the owner of the dogs," Serenity said softly, smiling at him. "I may not look it, but I assure you, I am quite tough."  
  
"Excellent," Shadii muttered under his breath as Serenity was escorted toward the place she will be staying for the next couple of weeks, possibly even months. The dogs outside of the headquarters started howling, and he smiled in a satisfied way.  
  
"The Ji'ns will surely lose against the wolves," I said dejectedly, shaking my head. "Demons versus ordinary dogs? Not a chance."  
  
"Whoever said that I was going to use them against the wolves?"  
  
#######  
  
Nahte: How did you like the third chapter? Pretty sad history behind Shadii, huh?  
  
Mel: (sniff) I never realized just how sad that boy is!! (cries and hugs Shadii)  
  
Shadii: O.O Get offa me!! 


	4. Glory, Fame, Wealth

Nahte: Thank you so much for all the kind reviews, especially to Wistful- Eyes, mezu, and Jargonelle!! :D (cheers) I realize that none of my other chapters are as good as my first one, especially my fourth one, but I hope I'll get better as the time goes.....well, enjoy this chapter! And you'll realize that I've changed my disclaimer too. Didn't like the last one. XD XD XD  
  
Disclaimers: Thus the word, fanfiction.  
  
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Glorious Battle  
  
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After Shadii had gone to bed, I got up as quietly as I can and walked up to the top of the fortress, where I had shouted orders to my men just a few hours ago. Chilly night wind whipped at my face, but I paid no attention to it as I leaned on the wall, waiting. Soon, I found my gaze wandering around the battlefield. With my sharp vision, I could see through the dim darkness and I could see the bodies scattered upon the site of the battle.  
  
Now that I look back on it, I think myself strange because that sad, bloody sight did not stir anything inside me. Just hatred and remorse toward the Man Slayers for reducing my force, thus reducing my chance of defeating them. No sadness, grief, or sorrow. Just...hatred.  
  
I stood there, thinking about how I was going to defeat the terrible tribe with the decreased army that I had and claim my glory as a hero.  
  
Glory. Fame. Wealth.  
  
What I had wanted back then.  
  
All I had wanted.  
  
The three things that occupied my mind and soul, the three things that fueled me, inspired me to move on, drove me to the ruthless, cold creature I was.  
  
Even the death of the loyal Ignatio was pushed out of my mind as the thirst, the intense need for glory made its way in.  
  
The death of these warriors are acceptable, I told myself. After all, this was what they were born to do; to live, fight, and die on a battlefield.  
  
"Sad, isn't it?" spoke a voice through the darkness, shattering my thoughts.  
  
"What?" I snapped, not understanding what the voice meant for a split moment. "Oh, the bodies."  
  
"Yes," it replied. "It is worse here than it is at the Man Slayers' camp, I see. There are much more bodies here." I turned toward the owner of the voice and bowed.  
  
"You have finally arrived, Lady Mai. I have been waiting for you."  
  
"Yes," she said with an apologetic tone in her voice, her face still concealed in the darkness. "I'm sorry that I wasn't able to tell you about the decoys...."  
  
"It is alright," I cut her off before she can say anything else. "You have made back from the Man Slayers' camp, alive. That is a great accomplishment on its own. No spy had ever made back from a Man Slayer camp."  
  
She laughed.  
  
"Sir Kaiba, you continue to flatter me," she said, giggling. "But all the other spies were men," she said in a playful way. Then her tone became suddenly businesslike.  
  
"The Man Slayers are preparing to launch a surprise attack tomorrow," she said, also leaning against the wall. "They are going to use their demonic wolves and their Riders—"  
  
"Wait, Riders??" I interrupted. Riders? The wolves weren't large enough for any person to ride on it!  
  
"Yes, Riders," she said patiently, apparently not perturbed by my rudeness. "They're demonic wolves; they can change their size. Not at their own will, but at the Tamer's will."  
  
I bit my lips. And I thought they were hard to defeat yesterday, when they weren't as large!  
  
"Anyway, once they have crushed your forces with the Riders, they will send their entire army and by combining their human force and the wolves, they plan to devastate the fortress, and into the Kingdom. You had better have a plan to stop them."  
  
"Don't....do you have any suggestions?" I asked hopefully. But I knew what the answer was.  
  
"No," she said simply, turning away. "I am a spy, not a strategist."  
  
"Do you think the Ji'ns would stand a chance?" I called after her. She stopped, and looked back.  
  
"Personally, I think it was a bad idea," she said thoughtfully, her walk slowing to a casual stroll. "But...I rather like the fact that Lord Joey is here." She smiled. I could sense it.  
  
She was in love with him, and he, her. It was natural that she would be happy that he was here.  
  
"It's actually his sister that's here," I informed her. She let out a small, thoughtful noise.  
  
"His sister, eh? You mean Serenity?"  
  
"Yes, yes, her." I was glad that it was dark out; I was blushing, remembering the brief moment between us at the castle.  
  
"Well, good luck, I must be getting back; they are probably going to be suspicious if I don't come back anytime soon." With that, she blended into the darkness and was gone, leaving me with my own thoughts again.  
  
I don't know how long I stood there, watching the battlefield and wondering aimlessly; I jumped slightly when I heard a voice speaking from the darkness again.  
  
"Sir....Kaiba?" the voice was gentle, much too gentle to belong to Mai. Besides, she would have been long gone by now.  
  
"Yes, it's me," I said without looking back, a note of annoyance seeping through my tone. I wanted to be alone at this moment—just me, and the fallen warriors and my thoughts. "And who might you be?"  
  
"Serenity Wheeler, if you do recall, sir," said the auburn-haired girl, stepping fully onto the fortress's large platform.  
  
I choked. I wasn't expecting her, out of all the people.  
  
"What...is it?" I asked once I had finally regained my voice. In her white, floaty nightgown, she looked like an angel from the above, sent to this sinful world to heal it.  
  
"I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd look at the site of the battle and memorize it....but apparently, I don't have as sharp as sight as I thought," she replied softly, evidently intimidated by the irritation in my voice.  
  
"I can still smell the scent of blood," she continued, in a saddened tone. "The poor warriors....." Then she made the traditional Egyptus's sign of the prayer for the dead.  
  
I rolled my eyes. Why did she care? She was a noble, they were peasants. Dirt. Their lives good for nothing except for digging the earth and fighting in the battlefields.  
  
Sentimental. She was too sentimental for times like these.  
  
"Why do you care?" I suddenly demanded, unable to stand the silence any longer. "Why do you care? These warriors—all peasants, their lives worth virtually nothing. No better than livestock, almost. Why do you care, when no one else does?"  
  
There was a moment of stunned silence and she didn't speak for a full moment. When she had started talking again, her gentle voice was shaking with suppressed rage.  
  
"Nothing, did you say, sir?" she said, her honey eyes narrowed angrily at me. "They are humans, just like you and me. They have dreams—they had hopes, wishes, families, and children. How can you say that they are no better than livestock?!!"  
  
I merely scowled. Hopes? Dreams? These peasants? Never.  
  
"No one else cares, you say, Sir Kaiba?!" her voice contained open anger now as the night wind blew around us both, as if wanting to circle us and calm us down. But it was too late for that. "It is you who do not care! You are the one with the heart of ice; do not think all the rest of us are like you! It is you who are no better than livestock; you have no emotions, like a proper human should!"  
  
She dare to put me down? To degrade me even lower than the peasants?! She goes too far. I, one of the famous knights of the King himself, below the peasants? Nonsense!! She does not know her place, to be speaking like that to me at all!  
  
"Lower than dirt, you say?" I said as smoothly and as coldly as possible, not letting her see the rage boiling inside me. "Me, the great knight of the King? One of the most renowned heroes of all time? Then what does that make you, a mere girl, if I am no better than dirt?" I smirked in satisfaction as she stood there, fuming, unable to say anything back.  
  
"What everyone says is right," she said in a dry voice, dripping with disgust. She then whirled away from me and stormed toward the steps leading to the heart of the fortress, to her quarters. "You are an arrogant, self- centered, egotistical, and conceited jerk."  
  
I stood there, dumbfounded by her sudden outburst even after she was long gone.  
  
What everyone says? Is that what they called me, an egotistical jerk?  
  
Why should I care what everyone says about me, as long as the King favors me as one of his great knights? Why should I care whether others talked behind my back, called me arrogant, egotistical, or a bastard?  
  
And why should I care about what this girl called me, thought about me?  
  
She was a self-degrading noble; no better than peasants—no, worse that peasants.  
  
Why did I care?  
  
Why did I feel a sudden stab on my chest, a feeling that I have not felt for a long, long time?  
  
Why....?  
  
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Nahte: Ugh, I don't like this chapter. . My writing's getting worse with each chapter!! O.o  
  
Mel: And this chapter was not sad, not sad at all.  
  
Cricket: Well, she can't write even if her life depended on it!  
  
Nahte: (glaaaare)............(sob)  
  
Mel: (rolls eyes) Humans. (pats Nahte's back anyway)  
  
Cricket: (sigh) Since both them are out, let me do the honors; review, please! Your reviews are what inspires Nahte......(gags) 


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